Milton Early, 87, died at home Feb. 11, 2006 after battling cancer for several months. He was born Oct. 6, 1918 in Cooper, Texas and was the only child of Milton Young Early and Bonnie Miller-Early. 

Milton was raised in Texas where he attended public schools. At the age of 17 he felt compelled to join the US Navy, so with his mother’s permission, he signed up in February of 1936. He served for 22 years on a number of ships, but his favorite by far was USS Tennessee. He spent a total of eight years aboard the Tennessee, along with shorter times on the USS Newport, USS Los Angeles, USS Praire and USS Kidd. 

In 1958, Milton retired from the Navy at NAS Whidbey Island as a Chief Commissaryman. He turned around that same year and went to work as a civil service employee at Building 369 where he worked for another 15 years before retiring in June of 1973.

In 1972, Milton got reacquainted with a woman he had known since 1945 and who had lost her husband in 1968. She was in California and he was on Whidbey so they had a long distance relationship for several months before they decided to get married. Marlene and Milton were married in September of that year and began their 33-year life together traveling and enjoying their retirement.

Milton is survived by his wife at the family home in Oak Harbor, along with many nieces, nephews and cousins in California, Texas and Kansas.

At the families’ request there will be no services immediately, however a family memorial service will be set sometime in the late spring. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials be made to Hospice or the American Cancer Society. Arrangements were entrusted to Burley Funeral Chapel.